Scientific communication is all about storytelling.
Storytelling is powerful. Talking about your research through stories can engage, compel, and drive a deeper understanding of science. Stories of Science supports researchers in effective science communication through our workshops, one-on-one coaching, and creation of media including websites, videos, and podcasts.
We have worked with researchers, graduate students, post-docs, and faculty across the country to train them to communicate their science at conference presentations, job interviews, and public events as well as through written communication such as policy briefs, grant applications, manuscripts, and blogs. You can find out more about our workshops and coaching by clicking the link below.
We also provide support through media production. Researchers frequently need videos created that communicate their work or promote their laboratories. We can help you do that. We create videos start to finish and also offer podcast production and website design and creation.
Why use storytelling in research presentations, scientific grants, and public talks?
Research has shown that we understand and remember information better when it is told to us in a story form. Stories of all genres contain certain components that our brains find appealing, including tension, stakes, and climax. When we use those same components and apply it to our scientific presentations, it can not only help a listener understand the data better, but also excite, compel, and persuade.
As scientists, we have been trained to believe that "the data should speak for itself" and that the use of any persuasion techniques is non-objective-- not what science should be about. We agree that, as scientists, we have a responsibility to share facts with the public. However, when we choose to not use stories to talk about our research, we are doing a disservice by not giving listeners the most scaffolding to understand our work and its implications. If we know how to ethically use narrative, we can harness its power to support a deeper engagement with important data, ultimately driving more innovation within the research community and leading to greater public understanding of science.
